Over the years, various types of archery bows have been developed, including traditional bows (i.e., long bows and recurve bows) and compound bows. All archery bows include a pair of opposed limbs extending from the handle riser of the bow. As an archer draws the bow by pulling on the bow string, the limbs flex and store energy. This energy is transferred to the arrow as the archer releases the bow string.
Much effort has gone into designing and developing limbs for archery bows, particularly limbs for compound bows. Compound bow limbs have traditionally been made of laminated layers of wood, plastic, fiberglass, and other composite materials. Limb performance depends both on the materials used to make the limb and the manner in which the materials are combined.
Some of the primary goals in designing and engineering bow limbs include increasing the bow limb's efficiency in storing energy and releasing the stored energy, and increasing the life of the bow limb (i.e., the period of time over which the bow limb maintains its ability to store and release energy).
Reducing the weight of the bow limbs is another desired objective of any bow limb design. Many traditional bow limbs are heavy, which adds weight to the bow and decreases bow efficiency. A reduction in the weight of the limb will reduce the overall the bow weight, which will improve the archer's ability to aim and shoot the bow accurately.
Yet another design consideration in bow limb systems relates to the outer ends of the bow limbs, where eccentric wheels or cams are attached through respective axles to the limbs. The outer ends must be sturdy enough to securely hold the wheel or pulley, yet be as light as possible to increase the bow limb efficiency and, correspondingly, arrow speed.
Still another factor in bow limb design relates to the torque applied to the bow limbs by the archer when drawing or releasing the bow string. A suitable bow limb design must substantially reduce, if not eliminate, torquing and twisting of the bow limbs as the archer draws and releases the bow string.
Another consideration in limb design relates to the working section of the limb. This is the portion of the limb that bends when the bow string is drawn to store the energy. The longer the working section, the smoother the bow limb will bend, thereby increasing the efficiency of the bow limb.
Traditional bow limb designs have been largely unsuccessful in overcoming all of the above-mentioned design difficulties. The present invention involving an archery bow and limb system for an archery bow has resulted in dramatic improvements and advancements in archery bow limb designs. The various features, advantages, and objects of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description that follows.